Li Banfeng headed off to the Song family storehouse. Ma the Fifth couldn't stop him, and when he tried to tag along, Li Banfeng complained that he would only get in the way.
Left with no alternative, Ma the Fifth returned to his wooden cabin and began packing his things.
Every time he and Li Banfeng went hunting, they offloaded their haul as soon as they scored. Was there anything of value left in the cabin?
Yes, there was.
Every time Ma the Fifth ventured into the newland, he recorded everything he saw and heard along the way. In total, he had filled over seventy pages of notes and drawn more than a dozen maps. They were priceless treasures.
He gathered the notes and maps from beneath his bed, grabbed two changes of clothes, and went up to the second floor.
He intended to help pack Li Banfeng's luggage as well. But when he reached the second floor and glanced out the window, a crowd of armed men was closing in from both ends of the alley.
Song Jiasen had arrived!
How had he come so fast?
By Ma the Fifth's reckoning, Song Jiasen should have been waiting at home for Tang Tianjin's return—for at least an hour or two. How could he have arrived so quickly?
*There were lookouts posted nearby—someone saw me come home!*
Ma the Fifth picked up the bonding mud, intending to set a trap, but on second thought, setting a trap was entirely pointless.
How big a trap could he set?
If Song Jiasen set fire to the house, no trap would do any good.
He had to leave himself an escape route.
If Song Jiasen surrounded the house, where could he possibly leave an escape route?
Nowhere would work.
***
Song Jiasen had brought more than fifty thugs, surrounding the wooden cabin front and back. Seeing that the cabin's curtains were drawn shut, Song Jiasen asked a thug beside him, "Did you see him go back with your own eyes?"
The thug nodded. "With my own two eyes."
"Ma Junyang, drag your fucking ass out here!" Song Jiasen shouted insults repeatedly, but there was no response from inside the house.
"Not coming out, huh? Smash the door down!"
The situation turned out better than Ma the Fifth had feared. Song Jiasen didn't torch the house; he directly ordered his men to batter down the door.
Two thugs walked up to the entrance, only for their feet to become glued to the ground, unable to budge.
There was bonding mud at the doorway.
Song Jiasen was furious, but dared not rush forward recklessly. "Motherfucker, pulling underhanded tricks on me! Ma the Fifth, are you coming out or not?!"
The shouting grew louder and louder, drawing an ever-larger crowd of onlookers.
Were these onlookers not afraid of trouble?
They were.
Yet today's circumstances were special.
In Lanyang Village, brawls happened daily, and murders were hardly rare.
However, the Song family rarely stepped in personally. In most cases, they acted as mediators, projecting a lofty and upright image.
Today, the Song family had suddenly turned hostile toward a fallen scion of the Ma family, and many people wanted to know the reason.
In fact, some had already guessed it.
"Ma the Fifth must have offloaded goods behind the Song family's back. Otherwise, Master Song wouldn't have come out in person."
"Offloading goods behind the Song family's back? Does he have a death wish?"
"Hard to say who's flirting with death. Down on his luck or not, the man is still a noble young master. Eldest Song is just posturing—would he actually dare to kill him?"
As the crowd murmured among themselves, they suddenly heard Song Jiasen shout, "Ma the Fifth! In front of all the folks of Lanyang Village today, don't say I'm wronging you. You went behind my back and fenced goods to the outside, didn't you?!"
There was no reply from the house.
Why didn't Ma the Fifth reply?
Because he wasn't in the wooden cabin at all.
At this moment, Ma the Fifth was hiding inside Landlord Wei's house.
Ever since Landlord Wei died, the house had stood empty. Li Banfeng had guessed correctly: with Wei dead, it merely meant one less person collecting rent, and no one else cared.
From the second floor of Landlord Wei's building, Ma the Fifth could see the situation over by the cabin and faintly hear the voices.
As soon as Song Jiasen pulled back, Ma the Fifth would be able to make a clean escape.
After waiting for a moment, Song Jiasen roared in fury, "Ma the Fifth, you don't dare admit it?! I brought a witness—let's see if you admit it now!"
Two thugs dragged a man forward. The moment he saw him, Ma the Fifth clenched his fists.
It was his friend!
It was Xiao Chuanzi!
Had Chuanzi sold out Ma the Fifth?
No!
Ma the Fifth was certain of this; Chuanzi wasn't that kind of person.
Song Jiasen must have received word from Yang Yanzheng, caught wind of the situation, and seized Xiao Chuan.
Chuanzi was tough to the bone, never once admitting to fencing goods from start to finish.
Xiao Chuanzi had suffered terribly, beaten black and blue, before being dragged in front of everyone.
Song Jiasen pointed a knife at Xiao Chuanzi's eye and demanded, "Did Ma the Fifth tell you to offload goods in Lüshui City? Tell me the truth!"
Xiao Chuanzi lowered his head and said nothing.
Song Jiasen laughed coldly. "Fine, you've got guts. Chop off one of his legs!"
Several guards pinned Xiao Chuanzi down. Two hoisted one of his legs, one bound the thigh tightly with rope, and another raised an axe, preparing to strike.
"Stop!" Ma the Fifth emerged. He couldn't stand by and watch Xiao Chuanzi lose his life.
Standing before Song Jiasen, he shouted, "Master Song, what do you think you're doing?!"
Song Jiasen smiled. "Ma the Fifth, what am I doing? Don't you know full well? Ever since you came to Lanyang Village, I've never caused you trouble. Yet you went behind my back to sell goods and broke my rules!"
With an expressionless face, Ma the Fifth said, "Words require evidence. Who saw me fence goods behind your back?"
Grabbing Xiao Chuanzi by the hair, Song Jiasen gave a sinister grin. "The witness is right here, and you still dare quibble?"
Xiao Chuanzi yelled, "Fifth Master never told me to sell goods! Don't you fucking frame people!"
"Tough little bastard!" Song Jiasen raised his dagger, aiming to gouge out Xiao Chuanzi's eye.
Ma the Fifth shouted, "Song, you dare! Look at whose family he belongs to!"
Song Jiasen paused, then turned with a laugh. "Him? He's just a laborer of the Ma family. What the hell does he count for?"
"You know he belongs to the Ma family, yet you dare lay a hand on him?"
Song Jiasen sneered. "Is there only one Ma family in Puluo Province? Since when are Ma family members untouchable? Does my Song family look like an easy mark?"
Ma the Fifth smiled as well. "I know the Lu family backs you. But let me tell you: a worker of the Ma family is still a human being, while a lion dog of the Lu family is still just a dog.
"Song Jiasen, do you really think you're some lion? In my eyes, you're nothing but a fucking dog!"
Could Xiao Chuanzi's status compare to Song Jiasen's?
It couldn't, and Ma the Fifth knew that perfectly well.
Even if Song Jiasen slaughtered Xiao Chuanzi on the spot right now, paying a sum of compensation to the Ma family afterward would settle the score.
If anyone else had compared Xiao Chuanzi to Song Jiasen, Song Jiasen would have laughed.
Yet coming from Ma the Fifth's mouth, Song Jiasen could not bring himself to smile.
The aura of a noble scion from a prominent clan choked the laughter in his throat.
Song Jiasen's eyes turned bloodshot. "Ma Junyang, you dare insult me?
"I'll lay it out right here today: forget him—even if I kill you right now, do you think I won't?"
Ma the Fifth looked straight into Song Jiasen's eyes. "Go on. I'm standing right here. Kill me!"
Song Jiasen twirled the dagger in his hand. "Don't think you can talk so arrogantly just because you're a young master of the Ma family. Let me tell you, this is Lanyang Village, not your Ma family manor!"
Ma the Fifth sneered. "I stopped being a Ma family young master long ago. I was cast out of the clan.
"I've slept in shacks and scavenged for food in garbage heaps—barely better than a beggar. If you want to kill me, just do it. Save the bullshit."
Did Song Jiasen truly dare kill Ma the Fifth?
He didn't.
Never mind killing Ma the Fifth before so many eyes; even if he assassinated him in secret, he still feared the Ma family would not let it go.
However, he wanted to teach Ma the Fifth a harsh lesson and beat him half to death. He wanted this pampered lordling to understand the rules of Lanyang Village and know who the master of Lanyang Village truly was!
Song Jiasen already knew about Ma the Fifth being robbed before. It wasn't the first time Ma the Fifth had taken a beating. If he beat Ma the Fifth within an inch of his life, the Ma family likely wouldn't pursue it either.
Ma the Fifth had also braced himself for a beating. As long as he could save Chuanzi, enduring another thrashing didn't matter, so long as he kept a breath in him!
Just as Song Jiasen was about to order his men to strike, a subordinate rushed over to report, "Master, the storehouse is on fire!"
The veins on Song Jiasen's forehead throbbed violently.
He had no idea what was happening.
Ma the Fifth heard it too.
He suspected Li Banfeng had done it, but couldn't fathom the reason.
Li Banfeng had said he was going to the Song family storehouse to pick up a few things. Would he really set fire to it?
No matter how his thoughts churned inside, Ma the Fifth kept his face impassive.
The storehouse catching fire was an opportunity, one he could use to project dominance.
Still glaring straight at Song Jiasen, he barked, "If you've got the balls, come kill me! Let's see whose life is tougher!"
Song Jiasen did not respond.
What did Ma the Fifth mean by that?
Had he sent people to burn down the storehouse?
Wasn't he expelled from his family...?
*There's more to this than meets the eye!*
Perhaps the Ma family had already forgiven Ma the Fifth, and was even secretly assisting him.
The Ma family burning down the storehouse was a warning to him.
If he continued to lock horns with Ma the Fifth, he feared the situation would spiral out of control.
Yet could he simply back down now?
A large crowd was watching. Song Jiasen had come here to establish his authority; if he stood down now, his standing here in the future would be completely undermined.
Having dominated Lanyang Village for two decades, Song Jiasen was experienced after all. In this critical moment, he devised a countermeasure.
"Fifth Young Master, I respect you as a real man. Though you've fallen on hard times, I, Song, won't bully you.
"Lanyang Village is my territory. Breaking my rules is slapping my face, and I can't just swallow that.
"Since I set the rules, we'll settle this by the rules. Tomorrow at noon, we'll hold an open-ground duel in the daytime arena to see who comes out on top.
"If I win, I'll trouble you to seek your fortune elsewhere and never set foot in Lanyang Village again.
"If you win, I, Song, will pack up my whole family and move out within three days. How does that sound?"
Ma the Fifth didn't want to agree. He knew he was no match for Song Jiasen, and he wasn't the kind of person to act brave just for vanity.
Yet Xiao Chuanzi was in Song Jiasen's hands. Refusing would be admitting defeat, and all the momentum he had just built would turn to ash. Xiao Chuanzi might lose his life, and he himself wouldn't escape a severe beating.
He had to agree first to save Xiao Chuanzi.
"Master Song, you are a third-tier Martial Cultivator. I've only just broken through to the first tier. Dueling you is practically suicide."
"What, are you scared? Don't worry, you won't die in the daytime arena. All you have to do is concede." Song Jiasen looked at Ma the Fifth with a sneer.
Ma the Fifth gave a cold laugh. "Concede? Nothing comes that cheap. I want to find someone to duel in my place—that fits the rules, doesn't it?"
It did indeed fit the rules. Song Jiasen had proposed a daytime arena duel, meaning a contest fought in daylight, so Ma the Fifth had the right to name a representative.
Song Jiasen could also find a representative, but what level of cultivator could he recruit?
At most, a fourth-tier cultivator.
What level could Ma the Fifth find?
That was hard to say.
If Ma the Fifth put up a hefty bounty, or if the Ma family stepped in from the shadows, finding a fifth- or sixth-tier cultivator wouldn't be out of the question.
Song Jiasen felt conflicted inside, but kept his expression placid. "Fifth Young Master, this is a matter between you and me; there's no need to drag outsiders in. Nor will I use my seniority to bully the young. I'll have my son duel you—first tier against first tier. That's fair, isn't it?"
Song Jiasen had two sons, Song Zhigang and Song Zhiyi, both of whom were first-tier cultivators.
"Zhiyi, do you dare fight the Fifth Young Master?" Song Jiasen handed the task to Song Zhiyi, because his eldest son, Song Zhigang, had pushed his cultivation too hard and sustained an injury.
Song Zhiyi had never participated in a duel before. Apprenticed at age six, he spent his days training in town and rarely came home, knowing very little about family affairs.
Yet he showed no fear of battle, looking at Ma the Fifth with disdain. "Why wouldn't I dare?"
With things having reached this point, Ma the Fifth had no grounds to refuse. "Fine, it's a deal. Release Chuanzi first."
Song Jiasen shoved Chuanzi in front of Ma the Fifth, then turned and led his men away.
Though he maintained a leisurely gait, Song Jiasen's heart was burning with anxiety.
The storehouse was still ablaze!
What the hell was Luo Sancai good for?!
Just how many men had the Ma family sent to pull off burning down the storehouse?
***
In truth, there had been only one person, and he hadn't been sent by the Ma family.
Li Banfeng had been staking out near the storehouse. Seeing Song Jiasen leave with his men, he stepped into the Portable Abode, tossed the key into the storehouse, and slipped inside.
He had intended to find something of value, but the storehouse was massive and had few genuinely precious items. Pressed for time, Li Banfeng grabbed a few random pieces that caught his eye, set a fire, and snatched the cashbox amid the chaos.
There wasn't much money inside the cashbox, only a little over three hundred thousand. After listening to the whole story, Li Banfeng handed the entire sum of three hundred thousand to Xiao Chuan. "You're a real man. Take this money to treat your wounds."
Xiao Chuan shook his head. "No need for money. These are just surface scrapes. Rubbing on some ointment will do; it's nothing serious."
Li Banfeng looked rather surprised. "Really nothing serious?"
Xiao Chuan nodded. "Really, I'm fine."
Li Banfeng nodded approvingly. "Since it's nothing serious, go on to work, then."
Xiao Chuan and Ma the Fifth stared at Li Banfeng together, convinced that no normal human being could say something so ruthless.
Li Banfeng said with righteous indignation, "You said yourself that you're fine, so why shouldn't you go to work?"
Unable to fathom Li Banfeng's line of thought, Ma the Fifth turned to Xiao Chuan and said, "Chuanzi, don't do roadwork anymore. Follow me from now on. We can't stay in Lanyang Village any longer, and I don't plan on holding an open-ground duel with the Song family either. We're leaving tonight."
Li Banfeng looked over at Ma the Fifth. "Leave? Why leave? This place is great!
"Isn't it just a duel? What's so hard about that? Go practice your eloquence first!"
Ma the Fifth asked in bewilderment, "Why would I practice my eloquence?"
Li Banfeng replied in all seriousness, "Isn't a duel just about who has the sharper tongue?"
Chapter 123